Please Do Not Delete Them

Reading the names of staff cut by Harper (you can't call it HarperCollins any more because the "Collins" was vaporized in yesterday's violent contraction), by Simon & Schuster and other publishers is like reading a list of army buddies fallen in battle. I knew, laughed with, negotiated with, celebrated with, quarreled with, dined with, drank with, and loved many of these people. Some I met only once or casually bumped into at industry functions, but even that was enough to add to the pool of relationships that extended my contact list into the thousands. Even those I never met face to face at all went into the contact list on a "You never know" basis - one day I'd have a reason to call on them, and in fact I frequently did.

The removal of all these people from the day to day scene has drawn much of the vibrant color out of the bazaar known as trade book publishing. Life will go on but it will be darker and sadder.

It would be easy to delete them from my contact list but I can't bring myself to do so, and I won't until they turn up at a new position and I know they're out of harm's way. Until then, I've created a new designation to place beside their names: "A.R." - Awaiting Reassignment.

To honor my fallen comrades, the least I can do is take my finger off the Delete key.

RC